? The origin of Cobweds??

[BINGO53]

I can grasp how certain types of swirls and scratches are made. I can readily identify those from the "auto-scratch car wash", those instilled from dry wiping, bad rotary work, and even from poor wash technique.

But what is the cause of the common cobweb type swirl?

I have a friends PT Cruiser coming up with a GIANT one on the hatchback. Its already halfway decorated for Halloween.

[Murr1525]

Re: ? The origin of Cobweds??

Cobwebs are just all the little swirls from washing, drying, anything else moving across the surface. Since the stuff that causes them is kind of random in direction, when the light hits them you get a random pattern going in every direction.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: ? The origin of Cobweds??

Cobweb scratches or swirls are instilled from day-in, day-out normal wear and tear. Pretty much anytime you touch the paint on your car the potential exist to either scratch it or not scratch it, just depends upon what you're touching the paint with, (material and chemicals), and how you're touching it, (carefully or haphazardly).

Your job is to always reduce the potential in any way you can.

Most people think and hope that their paint won't scratch when they wash and dry the car but the reality is that modern clear coats, although usually harder than traditional solvent-evaporation single stage paints are still easily scratched, including very light scratching which over time shows up as cobweb scratches.

Too bad the auto manufactures don't insist that the paint manufactures supply them with a paint that looks good, lasts a long time and is easy for the owner to work on.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: ? The origin of Cobweds??

Cobwebs are just all the little swirls from washing, drying, anything else moving across the surface. Since the stuff that causes them is kind of random in direction, when the light hits them you get a random pattern going in every direction.

Cobweb Scratches or Cobweb Swirls
Actually, the term cobweb swirls or spiderweb swirls comes from the fact that when you look at the paint in such a way as to place the reflection of the sun or another source of bright light so that it's on a painted panel, you'll see what looks like swirls and scratches forming in a circular pattern around the point of light.

Cobweb Scratches or Cobweb Swirls




Cobweb Scratches or Cobweb Swirls



Now if you move around a little bit so as to move the point of light around on the panel you'll see what looks as though the cobweb swirls are following the point of light. The cobweb swirls are not actually following the point of light what's really happening is that the entire finish is so filled with random scratches that wherever you place the point of light you'll see the circular or cobweb pattern show up because the random scratches will reflect the light back towards the center of this point of light. So as you move the point of light around on a painted panel it looks as though the cobweb swirls are following the point of light.

Does that make sense?

The scratches are not specifically circle scratches, they could be a all straight-line scratches but the effect is they look circular because the point of light is circular and the light hitting the hundreds of thousands of scratches are all reflecting back to the center of the point of light making it look as though the scratches are all circular when that's not the case.



Buffer swirls or Buffer Trails or Holograms
Swirls instilled through the use and mis-use of a rotary buffer will tend to show up in a pattern that reflect the direction the rotary buffer was moved over the surface.

Rotary Buffer Instilled Swirls




Rotary Buffer Instilled Swirls


Hope this helps to explain the difference.

[340sport]

Re: ? The origin of Cobweds??

So what does it take to remove the cobwebs? What product is the best by hand or by DA?

[AeroCleanse]

Re: ? The origin of Cobweds??

So what does it take to remove the cobwebs? What product is the best by hand or by DA?

I've tried by hand and no luck. I would start with #80 and a DA, do a test spot then see if I need something more aggressive or not.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: ? The origin of Cobweds??

So what does it take to remove the cobwebs? What product is the best by hand or by DA?

Check out the How To sub-forum in the Information Station

The Information Station

So much good, practical and helpful information in these two sub-forums

How To Articles

Hot Topics

[Mike Phillips]

Re: ? The origin of Cobweds??

So what does it take to remove the cobwebs? What product is the best by hand or by DA?

To remove any kind of below surface defect such as cobweb scratches you have to remove some paint and level the surface flat again, just like it was after it was painted.

Read this,
What it means to remove a scratch out of anything...


It's easiest to remove most defects by machine because the machine does a better job than your 4 fingers pushing down on a wax pad and the machine never gets tired. You can however be successful with both approaches.

By Hand
How To Remove Swirls By Hand
How to use ScratchX by hand to remove swirls, scratches and water spot etchings

By Machine
How To Remove Swirls By Hand

[Mike Phillips]

Re: ? The origin of Cobweds??

I've tried by hand and no luck. I would start with #80 and a DA, do a test spot then see if I need something more aggressive or not.

Sometimes it's all about technique when working by hand and sometimes the paint is hard enough that hand methods just are not effective. One thing for sure, at all the classes we've taught here at the Corporate office since our classes coordinated through the forum started, we always demonstrate how to do this successfully and usually in front of about 30 sets of eyeballs.

So it can be done.

[AeroCleanse]

Re: ? The origin of Cobweds??

Oh I'm sure its possible to do it by hand. I like to work smarter not harder

Besides, if I knew it all then I wouldn't need to come here and learn.

[BINGO53]

Re: ? The origin of Cobweds??

Mr Phillips pretty well covered the origin, or rather what you are actually seeing. At least it makes sense to me.

Removing them is just the same as for any other flaw. Test spot and work your way up from ScratchX to #83 if needed. If 2-3 passes with #83 won't do the job, then its time to find someone that actually knows how to use the rotary, then come back after to fine finish the job with the DA.

Thank you for the accurate info.